Using a golden shovel, Selectboard Chairman Topper McFaun and Governor James Douglas turned over the first few ceremonial loads of earth to mark the start of construction on the 1.4-mile Mill Stone Hill West Bike and Pedestrian Path project.
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| Pictured left to right: Capital Earthmoving President Michael Pitonyak, AOT Deputy Secretary David Dill, Barre Town Selectboard Chair Francis "Topper" McFaun, Governor James Douglas, Town Manger Carl Rogers, Robert Murphy, Robert Merchant, and Jeff Tucker |
The bike and pedestrian path will be the second in Barre Town, joining its predecessor in South Barre (which starts near Bridge Street and ends in Barre City), and the first to connect two of the Town's villages. The path begins at the Recreation Facility in Websterville before traveling through the woods, then past the Rock of Ages visitor center, and then back into the woods before exiting on Compo Street in lower Graniteville.
The process of building this path began in 1997, when a survey of Town residents revealed the number one requested recreation facilities or programs were bike and pedestrian paths. The survey results kicked off a period of grant writing and planning, involving Town staff, residents, and staff from the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission.
It wasn't until 2001 when the Town fully secured funding for its construction with the award of a Local Transportation Facilities (LTF) grant, that the construction period truly began. The LTF grants are administered by the Agency of Transportation, however the funding for the Mill Stone Hill West grant comes from a combination of federal (80-percent of the construction costs), state (10-percent), and local (10-percent) sources.
Chairman McFaun lauded the project as a classic example of cooperation between three levels of government, as well as government working with ordinary citizens. Barre Town resident Bob Murphy, a key member of the Bike Path committee which helped to select the location and steer the project in its earlier days, was on hand and a featured speaker.
Also offering brief remarks were Governor Douglas and David Dill, the Deputy Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
The event drew a crowd of about 25-30 people, and was set adjacent to the actual construction site. In fact, construction continued in the background throughout the ceremony held at the picnic shelter at the Recreation Facility.
Brief tours of one section of the path were offered after the speeches were concluded and the "first" dirt tossed.
Public Works Superintendent Steve Blondin was on-hand as well, serving in an unofficial (but some may argue "invaluable") capacity as the ceremony's "Grillmeister". Blondin's task was to grill hot dogs for attendees, which were available along with other refreshments.
Many remarks were made about the condition of the park and shelter, both of which looked great for the occasion, with a number of comments made directly to Recreation Superintendent Don Gainey.
With construction now underway, a tentative completion date for the path is given as early spring of 2006.